Milwaukee Bucks: What can Mike Budenholzer’s assistants offer?
By Adam McGee
Ben Sullivan
Comfortably one of the most intriguing members of Budenholzer’s staff in Atlanta, Ben Sullivan joined the Hawks back in 2014. Sullivan’s journey to Atlanta carried many similarities to Budenholzer’s own and in the time since he’s carved out a significant reputation for himself.
Sullivan was a player at Cal-State Northridge and University of Portland before turning pro and taking his career overseas. Following stops internationally in China, Germany and Chile, Sullivan returned for coaching roles at the collegiate level in Portland before becoming a video co-ordinator with the San Antonio Spurs.
Joining Budenholzer’s staff from that point, Sullivan took on a significant role within the Hawks’ vaunted player development program.
In particular, Sullivan has been credited with much of the success the Hawks have had in turning non-marquee wings into consistent and valuable contributors. DeMarre Carroll, Kent Bazemore, Thabo Sefolosha and Tim Hardaway Jr. all stand out as wings who’ve benefited from Sullivan’s guidance.
Most notably, Sullivan has worked as something of a shot doctor with Atlanta’s wings. Scott Cacciola of The New York Times detailed Sullivan’s process with Bazemore in a feature on Atlanta’s development work from 2015.
"“Not long after Bazemore signed with the Hawks last year, he began working with the assistant coach Ben Sullivan, who picked apart Bazemore’s mechanics. Bazemore had an elongated motion, and the ball tended to come off his ring finger and pinkie. ‘Ben’s a very forward guy,’ Bazemore said. ‘He pretty much said, ‘I’ve been looking at your jumper, and I honestly don’t know how you make shots.’’ Sullivan and Bazemore worked on tightening his form. Once Bazemore improved his consistency, he began to shoot against defenders. In February, Bazemore graduated to pull-up jumpers. He felt confident enough to attempt one against the Miami Heat on Feb. 28. ‘Every day, it’s film,’ said Bazemore, who was shooting 40.7 percent from 3-point range this season through Friday. ‘If you miss one, you go back and look at your form. Maybe your feet narrowed. Or maybe you drifted. Once you understand all those little things, the rim gets wider.'”"
Speaking to KL Chouinard of Hawks.com in late 2015, Sullivan offered further insight into his process and what he learned from legendary shooting coach Chip Engelland.
"“The biggest influence on shooting and the way that I teach shooting came from my time in San Antonio with Chip Engelland,” Sullivan said. “Chip is a master and the well-renowned shooting coach of the Spurs, and I was fortunate enough to spend two years working with him closely.” He said that the process which the Hawks’ assistants use eventually progresses from basic mechanics to practicing shots with motions that copy the flow of the Hawks’ offense. “You start with the offense and the player and break it all the way down into little bitty pieces that you’re working on,” he said. “Then you build it back up so that by the time they get into the game, it looks like they’re not even thinking. They’re just stepping into things and just doing them naturally because they’ve worked on them.”"
Considering the constant debate that surrounds Giannis Antetokounmpo, Sullivan joining the Bucks’ staff could be a fascinating development. Beyond that, though, just as important could be the improvement he helps the Bucks’ wing corps to make on their games.